1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrical connector connecting system and an intermediate board support for the system.
2. Description of the Related Art
U.S. Pat. No. 4,616,893 discloses an electrical connectors assembly of this type. As shown in FIG. 6, the connection system connects two connectors 50 and 60, each of which has two rows of contact elements. The connector 50 comprises a housing 51 and a plurality of male terminals 52 each having a contact pin while the connector 60 comprises a housing 61 and a plurality of female terminals 62 therein. Each of ground plates 53 and 63 is put into a space between the two terminal rows of each of the connectors 50 and 60. The ground plates 53 and 63 are connected by a linking terminal 70 with the connection grooves 71 and 72 put into the connection notches 53A and 63A, respectively, such that the planes of the linking terminal 70 and ground plates 53 and 63 are at right angles. The connectors 50 and 60 are joined together by fitting the end portions 51A of the connector 50 over the end portions 61A of the other connector 60.
In the above connection system, the signal terminals 52 and 62 and the ground plates 53 and 63 are made of different materials, respectively, and there are housing walls between them so that there are limits to minimization of the distance between the signal terminals and the ground plates. In addition, not only it is difficult to make impedance match but also the distance is too unstable to process high-speed signals. Sometimes, these connectors are mounted on a pair of circuit boards to connect them. If one or both of the connectors are offset from the regular mounting positions, it is no longer possible to connect them.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide an electrical connector connection system suitable for process of high-speed signals and capable of absorbing small errors in the mounting positions of the connectors.
According to one aspect of the invention there is provided an electrical connector connecting system for connecting a pair of electrical connectors of the receptacle type, which comprises at least one intermediate board with opposite edges fitted into the electrical connectors to electrically connect them. The intermediate board has signal and ground connection portions on the opposite edges and signal and ground transmission portions for interconnecting the signal and ground connection portions, respectively. Both the signal and ground transmission portions are provided on the same intermediate board so that the distance between the transmission portions are minimized and constant, making impedance match and high-speed transmission possible.
Either the signal or ground transmission portion may be provided on an surface of the intermediate board, with the other within the intermediate board so that the ground transmission portion can cover a plurality of signal transmission portions, providing the improved shield effect. A pair of one guide frames support opposite ends of the intermediate board, respectively, with each guide frame having at least a pair of guide section which is fitted into the electrical connectors for determining relative positions so that mating of the intermediate board and the electrical connectors is made easy. The guide frame may have at least one lock means for locking the intermediate board to one of the electrical connectors to facilitate connection of the intermediate board to the other electrical connector. The guide sections may have different edges to prevent the electrical connectors from being connected to a wrong side of the intermediate board.
According to another aspect of the invention there is provided an electrical connector connection system comprising a pair of electrical connectors, each having at least one terminal with a flexible contact finger; and at least one intermediate board having at least a pair of connection portions provided opposite edges thereof for contact with the flexible contact finger such that the intermediate board absorbs errors in a thicknesswise direction thereof with which the electrical connectors are positioned. The resilient deformation of the contact elements allows tilt of the intermediate plate, absorbing relative positional errors of the connectors.
The electrical connector connection system further comprises a pair of guide frames for supporting opposite ends of the intermediate so as to allow tilting of the intermediate board in the thicknesswise direction. The electrical connector connection system further comprises a support member for determining a distance between the connectors, the support member having at least one connection means for connecting the intermediate board so that not only the plugging depth between the intermediate plate and the connectors can be checked but also the application of an excessive plugging force can be prevented.
The support member has a pair of opposite faces with which a pair of the intermediate boards are brought into contact for support. The support member and the intermediate boards may be detachably attached. The support member may have a pair of spherical stopper faces opposed to the electrical connectors, respectively. The spherical stopper faces may have a radius of a half of a distance between the spherical stopper faces so as to keep the distance between the connectors substantially constant even if the intermediate plate is tiled.
According to still another aspect of the invention, the support member supporting a pair of intermediate boards, comprises a connection member for connecting the intermediate boards; and a support member for contact with the intermediate boards for support, the connection and support members being made integrally as a unit. The support member comprises a pair of guide frames for supporting opposite ends of the intermediate boards; a pair of stopper faces for abutment with a pair of electrical connectors to determine a distance between them; and a connection section detachably attached to the intermediate boards. The guide frames each comprises a pair of guide sections put into the electrical connector to determine relative positions and at least one lock means for locking the electrical connector to the guide frame.